"As a matter of fact I only work with the feeling of something magical, something seemingly significant. And to keep it magical I don't want to know the story involved, I just want the hypnotic effect of it somehow seeming significant without knowing why." - Len Lye

I actually like the percussiveness Mac talks about (aside from those damn clickety vibes on Tymps). Her music, especially When The Pawn, has always been extremely percussive, be it via her piano or that totally awesome extended drum solo on Fast As You Can.

LOS ANGELES - Several hundred Fiona Apple fans attended a rare in-store appearance by the elusive singer-songwriter Thursday night. Apple performed a 45-minute set, with most of the material from her just-released CD "Extraordinary Machine."

Apple told AP Television that this was only the second time she'd ever done a concert in a music store.

"I have no idea why I'm doing it, she admitted. "I know what my part of the job is: I'm supposed to write songs and sing them ... There's other people that know what they're doing and they say to do it and so I'm doing it."

Clearly, this wasn't like playing a nightclub or concert hall. "It's really strange to be able to see the people that you're singing in front of," added Apple, referring to the store's bright lights. "I'm not used to that."

"Extraordinary Machine" is her first new CD release since her 1999 album, "When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts...", which was nominated for the 2001 Grammy for best alternative music album, with the track "Paper Bag" nominated for best female rock vocal performance.

Understandably, Apple would want to take time to get the next CD right. But six years? She explained that she was unhappy with her first recordings of the songs on "Extraordinary Machine," but disagreed with her record company on how to re-record them. "So, I said, 'I'd rather do none at all."

Enter Apple's fans, some of whom began a "Free Fiona" campaign targeted at her record company. Apple said those protests helped the album ultimately get redone and released. "They (the fans) made certain people realize that it was probably a good investment."

Indeed, the well-reviewed "Extraordinary Machine" debuted at No. 1 Tuesday on the iTunes album chart, and Apple begins her national concert tour this fall.

Apple noted she's learned a lot from the releases of her previous CDs, the first of which came out when she was a teenager.

"It's easier, it's definitely easier," said Apple, now 28, "because if you spend six years without really knowing whether or not you're going to do another album, I know for sure that if all this were to go away, I'd be just fine. So it's easier, I don't take it all quite so seriously."

“Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” - Andy Warhol

she was nice and plump on letterman. he interviewed her for a bit after her performance and i BET it was just to get a nice shot of her eyes, she sung like she was asleep (maybe from listening to all her new songs).

i havn't read all these interviews but what she said on letterman was funny and believable. she's a bum, she wasted 6 years and she realises she coulda done more.. listing what she coulda done: "i could've gone to college.. written a novel.. etc". she sounds happy tho, and looks very hot as usual. oh and letterman stole my bird flu joke .

"As a matter of fact I only work with the feeling of something magical, something seemingly significant. And to keep it magical I don't want to know the story involved, I just want the hypnotic effect of it somehow seeming significant without knowing why." - Len Lye

I may end up going to Ohio, but why is the Chicago one not showing up?

"As a matter of fact I only work with the feeling of something magical, something seemingly significant. And to keep it magical I don't want to know the story involved, I just want the hypnotic effect of it somehow seeming significant without knowing why." - Len Lye

TONY: As a producer, is it a drag not to have the final say about what gets released?

Jon Brion: Yeah, but that's the job description. You're in charge of all the things that aren't fun to do- but at the end of the day you're really not in charge. Who wants to waste time making stuff that doesn't get heard? [Apple] asked me recently to make a mix of all the stuff we did together, so at some point we could put out that version of the record. There's some very worthwhile stuff there- and the songs that leaked out to the Internet weren't remotely like we recorded them.

Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

TONY: As a producer, is it a drag not to have the final say about what gets released?

Jon Brion: Yeah, but that's the job description. You're in charge of all the things that aren't fun to do- but at the end of the day you're really not in charge. Who wants to waste time making stuff that doesn't get heard? [Apple] asked me recently to make a mix of all the stuff we did together, so at some point we could put out that version of the record. There's some very worthwhile stuff there- and the songs that leaked out to the Internet weren't remotely like we recorded them.

That's good news... I finally broke down and bought the cd... most of it's pretty good... I actually like the new version of "Not About Love" better... only problem is, my favorite song in the bootlegs was "Please, Please, Please," and the new version of it SUCKS BALLS. The song lost all its momentum, and Fiona sounds bored out of her skull in the vocal take they used.